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1515 25th Avenue
Formerly Isabella Avenue
This is Dr Crawford’s House #4, so named as Dr. Thomas H. Crawford had these four homes (this one and the three to the east of us) built in 1912.
It seems to have been a speculative investment by this doctor-acting –as-developer and landlord. He lived at 626 – 26 Avenue W at that time, which may have been just west of the current Safeway store at 4th St SW in Mission edging Elbow Park. Dr. Crawford had a practice in the McLean Block at 109 – 8th Avenue SE: McEachern, Graham, Crawford and Merritt – Physicians and Surgeons.
#1 at 1509 – remained in Dr. Crawford’s ownership thus was a rental from 1914 through 1951 to folks such as a carpenter, cashier, a manufacturer’s agent and travelling salesman.
#2 at 1511 – continued as a rental property of Dr. Crawford’s from 1914 through 1949, becoming home to a CPR steward, a Hudson’s Bay Company driver, an employee and then a chef for the CPR, and a civil engineer in 1923
#3 at 1513 – appears to have been rented also in 1913 to a clerk and to a salesman in 1914. It was owned by a John Crawford in 1915 – perhaps a son or other relative of the good doctor? By 1918 a CPR telegraph operator lived here, although he was in active service
#4 Our house also seems to have been a rental home in its early years. Dr. Crawford kept it only until 1920; his tenants included:
James A Mitchell – a tailor – 1913
Benjamin A Neal – An accountant – 1914 – 1916
Mrs. Catherine McKenzie, a widow in 1917, during the First World War
William J. Lewis – a porter with CPR from 1918 -1921
H.E. Small purchased the house in 1920. After Wm Lewis left in 1921, George Cress, a carpenter, lived here for 10 years, to be followed by John Dykes, a weed inspector during the mid-thirties.
All of these home together reflect early Bankview primarily as a community of workers and modest professionals contributing to the growth and support of many aspects of early Calgary life.
The early rental histories under Dr. Crawford’s ownership reveal the entrepreneurial impulses of the professional classes.
While all four of these one and a half story homestead-style homes have survived, they all have evolved to reflect the histories of their multiple owners.
The changes have been few in general so they are a unique set of four simple homestead-style houses in this community.
Welcome to our Avenue – Isabella Avenue – named after Billy Nimmon’s daughter

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The Calgary Public Library has digitized our Postcard Collection in order to provide our customers with a useful online historic resources. The Calgary Public Library makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to images digitized for our site. All images in this collection are intended for personal/research use only. Any other use, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Library. Users are responsible for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying any associated fees necessary for the use of the image.